Chapter 2: The Ambush
The surrounding whispers died down instantly. Victoria stepped forward, her face a mask of calculated righteousness. "He is a Sterling, Avery. And unfortunately, it seems you have forgotten what that means."
Liam reached into his tuxedo jacket and pulled out a thick white envelope, tossing it onto a nearby table. A few papers spilled out—paternity test documents with a bold red stamp reading: NON-MATCH.
"I trusted you," Liam hissed, his grip tightening defensively around the swaddled baby. "My mother told me to look into your past, into the 'old friends' you kept seeing back in your hometown. You used me to secure a lifestyle you could never afford, and you tried to pass off another man's child as a Sterling heir."
The ballroom erupted into a flurry of gasps and camera clicks. Avery felt the room spin. The smudged makeup around her eyes caught the light of the chandeliers as tears of pure shock and betrayal spilled over. She looked at Victoria, who was watching with a triumphal, mocking smirk.
"This is a lie," Avery whispered, her voice trembling but gaining strength as she looked around at the predatory faces of high society. "I have never been unfaithful to you, Liam. This test is a forgery."
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"Enough!" Victoria commanded, pointing a manicured finger toward the grand exit. "She is a fraud, a stranger to this family. Guards, remove her from the estate immediately. She will never touch this child again."
But as two security guards stepped forward, Avery didn't run. Instead, she wiped her tears, her face hardening into an expression of fierce, unyielding resolve. "You think you've won, Victoria," Avery said, her voice echoing clearly under the crystal chandeliers. "But the truth comes out today."
